Dancing With A Rose
by Eldrvarya Hljodhrc
Summary: Life already sucks. I was switched at birth. I was learning an entirely new language, and a new life, and then HE cheated on me. But this... I don't know if I can handle this. Slight AU. Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, everyone! This is a very slightly AU. Not much. *Spoiler for... well, everything* This is after Emmett cheated on Bay. However (this is where the AU comes in), before he cheated, he slept with Bay. Everything after that (Bay going on vacation, etc.) has still happened. Oh, also, the boyfriend guy, Alex, doesn't exist.**

**Summary: Life already sucks. I was switched at birth. I was learning an entirely new language, and a new life, and then ****_he_**** cheated on me. But this... I don't know if I can handle this. Slight AU. Spoilers.**

**** "Bay! Oh, thank goodness you're finally back!" My mom-not the woman who birthed me, but the one who raised me-folded me into her arms.

"Hi, mom." I loved my mom, I did, and I was happy to see her again. But hugs... not really my thing. They're just kind of awkward.

The next couple of hours seemed to blur together. Questions about my trip, and how was everything, and did I take a lot of photos, and did I miss everyone. I didn't pay much attention. For the past couple weeks, I haven't been feeling too hot. Today was certainly no exception.

One particular question got my full attention, though. "Emmett said he was trying to get a hold of you. Have you heard from him?"

_No, I was busy hating and ignoring him, thank you very much. Because you see, mom, he ripped my heart out. You don't know this, but he slept with my worst enemy from elementary school. And oh, yeah, my brother's girlfriend. So no, I have not 'heard from him', and I don't want to._ "No, I didn't get anything from him. Weird. Must have had sketchy service or something."

My mom frowned slightly, getting that 'mom look'. She knew something was up, but she didn't know what. She didn't know how to piece it all together. All she knew is that we broke up.

"Yeah... you should check and make sure you didn't miss anyone else."

"I should. I'll go do that now."

I really wasn't feeling good. I needed to get away from people and lay down. I sprang up from the couch, jogging from the room and heading to my own.

I knew that I missed my crazy family, but I didn't realized how much I missed my own room until I was in it. I probably would have an even more intense reaction going to my 'studio', but that could wait. Right now, all I could do was crawl into my bed and collapse.

When I peeled my eyes open, there wasn't as much light shining through the window, and my stomach had settled slightly. I'd fallen asleep? Slowly sitting up, I came to the conclusion that yes, yes I had. I took a moment to look around at my pictures, and my art and music.

Standing, I traced my hand along the mural on my wall before leaving the room, going back downstairs. For dinner time, it was much quieter than usual. The kitchen was empty. The table clear. I slowly made my way from room to room before going down to the guest house.

I could see Regina through the window, but she was talking to her boyfriend. I couldn't quite remember his name. P something. Patrick or Peter or... something. Either way, I decided not to bother them and went out to my 'studio'.

Opening the garage door, tears came to my eyes. There it was. There was my peace and solitude. My art. I slowly stepped in and dropped into my chair, picking up one of many sketchbooks, flipping mindlessly through the pages. I paused when I came on the drawing of 'ax girl'. I studied her, studied what she had meant to me, and what she now reminded me of.

Him.

Ax girl now reminds me of _him. _I'm still too made to even think his name. I just can't do it. I gave him my vegetable and my heart, and he cheated on me with _her_.

I can't think her name, either.

I think if I saw either of them, I'd hit them.

**Ok, so, Bay is most likely OOC. I don't do very well with staying in character. Sorry.**

**What do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

Another week passed, but my nausea did not. Everyone went about their days, same as always. Well... Almost. Regina ended up marrying Angelo-trouble in the Regina/Patrick paradise, it seems. Daphne is always at work. Mom and dad are fighting.

I was still avoiding _him_.

I was also hiding the fact that I was throwing up every few hours. The longer this went on, the more I suspected the reason. But I couldn't be. I couldn't. We had used protection, and... and he cheated. Surely, my body wouldn't go so far as to grow _his_ child when _he_ had torn my heart out.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I could handle this, too.

_Stop getting ahead of yourself. Take a deep breath. Just think._

I looked up how to sign it. 'Will you go with me to get a pregnancy test?' I knew it by heart. But on the way to the guest house, I forgot half of it. Going to Daphne's room, I forgot the rest. By the time I had gotten to her room, I only remembered one sign.

She laid on her bed, facing the door as always. She looked up and shut the laptop, her face curious and concerned.

Daphne had liked _him_ before. She was _his_ friend. She still talked to _him_. Maybe I shouldn't ask her. What if she tells _him_? It wouldn't be that far fetched. She told _him_ I was back, didn't she? _He_ hasn't stopped texting me. Daphne will occasionally approach the subject, saying something like, "Emmett asked how you were today." I would leave the room. I didn't like hearing that name. When faced with him, I can pretend to be civil. But otherwise...

'What's up?' she signed.

_Right. You're here for a reason. Come on. You can sign it. You practiced. 'Will you go with me to get a pregnancy test.' Just do it. You can do it. I know you can._

My hands slowly raised, and I seemed to step from my body, watching myself as I signed, 'Pregnant.' Not the entire question. Just that one word.

Daphne's eyes widened. Clearly, out of everything she had expected, that wasn't it. She got up from the bed, pulling me further into the room and shutting the door. 'What?'

'I think I'm pregnant.'

'What do you mean? I thought you were-'

'Emmett.' I had to force myself to sign the name. I didn't want to, but I had to. I took a moment to regroup and started over. 'Before he... slept with Simone.' Another deep breath. 'Will you go with me to get a pregnancy test?'

I mentally pat myself on the back. There. That wasn't so hard, was it?

Yes. It was. It was the hardest thing I had done in my life... so far.

Daphne nodded. 'Yes. Yes, of course.'

'You can't tell him. You know that, right?'

The conflict showed in her eyes. Be faithful to her best friend, or her 'sister' that he cheated on?

After what seemed to an eternity, she nodded. 'Alright. Our secret.'

'Thank you.'

'But, Bay... if you are... you have to tell him.'

'Well... hopefully I'm not.'

Daphne nodded, and after an awkward silence, I quickly left the room.

"Bay!" Daphne was once again pounding on my door. "Come on! You can't hide forever!"

I had gone to her, and asked her. But after a few days, she was more anxious to get it done than I was. I didn't want to go to the store. I didn't want to get the test. I didn't want to be pregnant.

"I got it for you!"

Oh... well, there goes hiding. I got off my bed and slowly opened the door. She shoved a paper bag into my hands. "Go. Do it."

I had nothing else to argue with. She had quickly swept everything aside when she had bought it for me. I sighed and went into the bathroom, following the instructions closely. I carefully set the little white stick onto the counter and opened the door. Daphne sat on my bed.

'Well?'

'Have to wait a few minutes.'

Daphne nodded slightly. I hadn't ever met someone as understanding and patient as she was. I suppose that's the reason I picked her to begin with. If I had picked anyone from my family, they would have freaked out. I could just imagine the disappointment on their faces. Especially from both of my mothers.

And what about _him_? If that little stick says there's a kid inside of me... I'd have to tell him eventually, wouldn't I? And if I didn't, Daphne certainly would.

I glanced at the time and slowly went back into the bathroom. I stared at the stick, comparing it again and again to the instructions. Two lines. There were two lines. Two little pink lines.

I threw the stick and any other evidence away, going back to my room.

Daphne looked up expectantly. She looked almost as nervous as I felt.

'I'm pregnant,' I signed.

**Once again, I apologize for any OOC-ness. Tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just realized that I haven't been doing the disclaimer thing. Oops.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Switched at Birth or the characters. Except Natalie Olenick. I made her up.**

I never would have pegged Daphne for someone so obsessed with babies.

I was wrong.

While I was busy thinking somewhere along the lines of, 'My life is officially over,' she was getting on the computer and doing all the research in the world. She was finding me doctors to look at, and what I would need to eat and avoid, and what a baby would need.

She just assumed that I would be keeping it.

I don't know, though. Out of all of my plans for high school, and life in general, teen pregnancy was never on the list. Sure, art contests, and dances, and vandalizing... all of that was there. Boyfriends and parties and life. I was already off my list with finding out about this 'switched at birth' thing. I was _really_ off my list when I dated-and got cheated on-by a deaf guy.

But a teen pregnancy?

Daphne gave me a few days to adjust before bombarding me.

'Ok, I found the perfect doctor for you. Her name is Natalie Olenick, and she deals with a lot of teen pregnancy,' she signed. Her eyes seemed to light up every time she talked about it. It was like she was looking forward to being an aunt.

'Alright,' I signed grudgingly. 'I'll make an appointment.'

'No, you won't. So I did it for you. Next Wednesday after school. Ok?'

I sighed and nodded. Daphne watched me for a minute, uncertainty playing on her face. When she came to a decision, she nodded to herself.

'Have you told Emmett?'

Emmett. Him. If he hadn't cheated, if we were still dating, he would have been the first to know. I would have asked him instead of Daphne. I could have figured out what to do so much easier. But that's not what happened.

'No. I haven't talked to him.'

'Bay, he deserves to know.'

Anger flashed in my eyes. 'No. He doesn't.'

'It's his child, and-'

"He cheated on me!" I was too angry to sign. I was too angry to mouth my words to keep it a secret. So I yelled. "He cheated on me, and he doesn't _deserve_ to know anything!"

Daphne looked taken aback, her lips pressed in a thin line. 'Fine.' She spun on her heel, going out the door. I watched her walk out of sight, down to the guest house.

"Is this true, Bay?" The voice was soft and accented. Angelo. I slowly turned to him. His face was concerned, and even slightly angry. "This boy you dated... he cheated?"

"Ah... yeah. It's a long story."

"No. It is not. He cheated on you."

"Well... yeah."

Angelo nodded slightly, abruptly turning on his heel and leaving the room.

"A-Angelo! Hey! What are you doing?" I went after him. I didn't like that look on his face.

"John! John, where are you?"

"Oh. Oh, yeah, there's really no need to get Dad involved, is there?"

Angelo continued to ignore me, going to Dad's office. John Kennish, the man I though was my father for 16 years. The man who raised me. About to be told some bad news by my birth father.

I didn't see this going very well.

**So, sorry again for anything.**

**I'm going to try to post a chapter a day. At some point, the title to this story will make sense!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

**This chapter is going to focus more on Emmett cheating than Bay's pregnancy.**

We had all gathered in the living room. I really think it should be renamed the conference room, because really, when do we come in here when we're _not_ having a big family meeting?

Usually, the meeting is for something else. Like when Regina married Angelo, or when we met Daphne for the first time.

Not this time.

This time, it was me and Toby.

"So, wait... Emmett cheated on you with Simone?" My mom seemed so appalled, she couldn't wrap her mind around the concept.

Toby nodded. "Yeah. Emmett and Simone."

"Bay... Toby... I'm sorry. I never thought Emmett would do something like that. After all these years... I never would have guessed."

"Yeah, well, neither did I. Can I go, now?" I was feeling nauseous. Again. Or still, rather. I don't know. I do know that this is getting on my nerves, though.

Dad stood up. "Yeah. Yeah, you go ahead. I need to go talk to this boy."

Angelo stood as well. "I will go with you."

"No! No, there's no need for that. Really." I quickly raised my hands, as though that would stop them. "We talked about it, we're good. Ok? Everything is fine."

"No, Bay, it's not fine. He hurt you. He's not going to get away with that." Dad left the room, and Mom got up, hurrying after him.

"John, think this through. You're angry right now..." Their voices faded away.

I was left in the room with Regina, Angelo, Daphne and Toby. After a moment, Toby turned and left without a word. Daphne stared down at her hands. I'm not sure what she was thinking, but I had a feeling it was along the lines of, 'Please don't ask me anything or even look at me.'

Regina took a deep breath. "Bay... Why didn't you say something?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"Of course it matters."

"No. It's all in the past, ok? I promise. I'm fine. We'll even be friends again after so long."

Regina pursed her lips together, clearly not believing me. Then again, I wasn't very convincing. How could I be in this situation?

She opened her mouth again, then closed it. She repeated the motion a few times, seeming unsure what to say. Finally, she just lifted her hands in surrender and left the room, then the house.

With only Angelo and Daphne left, I decided I was free to go. Which was a good thing, considering I barely made it to my room when my stomach decided it was tired of having its contents. I quickly made it to the bathroom and hunched over.

Once finished, I shakily stood and went to the sink, washing my mouth out and splashing my face.

"What doesn't he deserve to know?"

I glanced over at Angelo, leaning in the door frame.

I had a feeling he already knew.

"Tell me, Bay. What doesn't he deserve to know?"

"It's nothing."

"Bay..." He hesitated, his eyes looking uncertain. "Bay, are you... with child?"

I looked down at the sink.

When he spoke again, his voice was stronger, filled with conviction. "Are you pregnant?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes." I wanted my voice to be strong. But instead, it came out as a whisper... and my voice cracked.

"And it is his?"

Not trusting my voice, I just nodded.

"And that is what you feel he does not deserve to know?"

Feeling repetitive, I nodded again.

"Who else knows?"

"Daphne..."

"No one else?"

"No..."

Angelo watched as I moved past him, back into my room. He watched as I sat on my bed.

"You will have to tell your family."

"I know..."

"And you will have to tell Emmett."

My eyes hardened. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I did know that Emmett wouldn't be involved. I wasn't letting him get close to me. And if I decided to keep it, I wasn't going to let him hurt our child like he hurt me.

"No, Angelo. I don't have to tell him."

"He is a father."

"No. He's a sperm donor. I'm not telling him."

"If you do not, someone else will. And then he will come here, mad at you."

"Why? He has no right to be mad at me."

"He will if you keep him from his child."

"Get out of my room."

"Bay-"

"Out!"

Angelo sighed, leaving the room, gently shutting the door behind him.

I laid back on my bed. What if I left? What if I just packed a bag, got in the car, and drove away? I had the money saved up.

Then I wouldn't have to tell my family.

I wouldn't have to tell Emmett.

I wouldn't have to face anyone. I could just run away from everything.

Why not? I ran from Emmett cheating, didn't I?

**Alright, you know the drill. Sorry, tell me your thoughts, all that jazz.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

**Ok, I've never had one of these appointments (as I've never been pregnant), so I have no clue if what I'm about to say is accurate or not. I'm kind of using what limited knowledge I have and making up the rest for this chapter.**

I could not believe how many baby posters were at an OB/GYN office.

And pregnant women.

If I ever wanted to forget my situation, this wasn't the place to go.

I would have left if Daphne hadn't been there forcing me to stay. I really didn't want to be here, and she knew it.

"Bay Kennish?"

I slowly stood. "Yeah. Yeah, that's me." I waved to Daphne, following the nurse through the door. We went through all the measurements-height, weight, etc.-until she led me into the room. The stirrups on the bed instantly scared me.

"Alright, hun, why are you here?"

"I... um, I'm pregnant."

She raised an eyebrow. Evidently, it didn't matter if the doctor was used to dealing with teen pregnancy. The nurse was still judgmental.

"How far?"

"I... I don't know. Two months, maybe?"

"Would you lift your shirt?"

I bit my lip and complied. As long as it was down, no one could see anything. However, the beginning of a baby bump was forming. It wasn't much, and if someone noticed after a large meal, they wouldn't suspect it at all.

"Looks about right." The nurse handed me a folded hospital gown. "Strip down and put this on. The doctor will be with you soon." I nodded and she left.

I quickly followed instructions, getting the gown on and sitting on the bed. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came in.

Natalie Olenick was a pretty woman. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, with dark skin. Her hair was cut short, a small poof around her head. Not quite curly enough to qualify as an afro, though. Small glasses sat perched on her nose in front of light green eyes.

"Hello, Miss Kennish."

"Call me Bay."

"Bay. I'm Natalie. I'll be your doctor. You're here to establish care for your pregnancy, right?"

"Yeah... yeah, I guess."

"Do you know how far you are? In weeks?"

"Weeks?"

"I have a calendar, if you need it."

I nodded. I remembered the day it happened. I had had it all planned out. I made it as special as I could.

Hopping down from the table, I went to the indicated calendar, flipping through the pages. It was September 12, now. And it had happened July 23. So that was...

"A little over 7 weeks."

"Alright. Do you know the father?"

"Yes."

"Does he have any hereditary problems?"

"Well... he's deaf. But that's it."

"And that's hereditary?"

"Yeah. Both of his parents are, too."

"Alright. That shouldn't cause any problems in the pregnancy, but it's useful information for the birth."

I didn't see how, but hey, she was the doctor.

"Ok. Lay back here, and put your feet in the stirrups."

What happened next was very, _very_ unpleasant. And I swear it lasted forever. I don't know what was so interesting down there, but she took her time. And then she tried to make small talk. I really didn't do well with that particular moment in time. Small talk was awkward enough, thank you.

She eventually set me free with a prescription for prenatal vitamins.

I got dressed, going back out into the waiting room. Daphne sat there still, flipping through a magazine. She glanced up, standing when she saw me. 'So? What did she say?'

'She said to take these vitamins and that she'll see me later.'

'All that time for that?'

'Well... she didn't say anything important during the rest of the time.'

We continued talking as we left the waiting room, heading out to the parking lot.

'Did you do an ultrasound?'

I frowned slightly, and seeming to realize we were alone and there was no danger of our family hearing us, she spoke.

"Did you do an ultrasound?"

"Oh... no. She said that we would wait for that until I'm 20 weeks." I signed and spoke at the same time.

"How many weeks are you now?"

"Seven."

We got into the car, but before I started the car, I turned to her. "I'm not going to be able to hide this much longer."

"I know. You need to tell them. You need to tell Emmett."

"I'll get to that."

I turned and started the car, pulling out and driving away. This was a lot to take in. Natalie had said that the next appointment she would try to listen to the heartbeat.

And Emmett really did deserve to know. No matter how mad I was at him, or how hurt, it wasn't fair to keep a kid away from him.

I lived with other people, too. I'd have to tell them before they found out some other way.

I never thought life would turn out this way.

**Sorry about missing yesterday! My internet went all freaky and I couldn't get on... I'll try to post two chapters within the next couple days to make up for it. It depends on how soon I finish my schoolwork.**

**Tell me what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

It was another week before I finally built up enough nerve to call a family meeting.

And even then, my calling of a meeting was something more along the lines of a text sent to everyone saying, 'We need to talk. Living room.'

Close enough, right?

One by one, everyone filed in, taking their seats.

I took a couple minutes to figure out how to ease into it before giving up.

"I'm pregnant."

They were all silent for a minute, studying me. Then dad laughed.

"Oh. I get it. It's like what they do online, right? You say something that would be bad, so that the lesser bad thing you did doesn't seem so bad. What is it? Do you need summer classes?"

I bit my lip slightly. "No. I don't need summer classes. I need to give birth in about 7 months."

Another moment of silence.

Mom slowly put her hand to her throat. "Oh, my... you aren't kidding."

"No. I'm not."

Regina slowly shook her head. "Bay... who?"

"Emmett."

"Did anyone know? Oh, you're going to need a doctor, and... and those vitamins." Mom was suddenly up, ready to go into action.

"Daphne already got me a doctor, and I had an appointment last week."

Regina frowned. "Daphne knew? Does anyone else?"

"Angelo found out."

"Angelo?" She swung around to him, and he looked vaguely sheepish.

"I had faith that she would tell everyone when she was ready. And she has."

Dad was quiet. Through all of their talking, he just watched me. He stared at me with that disapproval in his eyes. After a couple minutes, he turned and left the room.

I was scolded for my irresponsibility, and I was quick to defend myself. We had used protection, because I hadn't wanted this to happen. I suppose in this case, it didn't matter, though. I was lectured on what was to come, on what I would need to avoid and do more often.

"Look, I know. Ok? Daphne did a ton of research, and my next appointment is in a couple weeks. I have the vitamins."

"You'll still need the help of women who have been pregnant before. And you have two right here," mom said.

Regina ran a hand through her hair. "Grandparents. We're grandparents. We're too young to be grandparents."

Evidently, that was an aspect my mom didn't want to look at. "Have you told Emmett?"

I was tired of that question. I was tired of the argument that always followed. And I would avoid them at all costs if I could.

Daphne was paying attention, but I highly doubted she would believe me, anyway.

"Yeah. Yeah, I've told him."

There. I had prevented the argument, and I bought myself more time of not telling him without being pestered.

"And?" Regina prompted.

"What did he say?"

"Ah... nothing, really. He just got pale and left." Only half of that was a lie. A guy can't say anything about something he doesn't know about.

"Ok... Ok." Mom nodded. "John, you haven't-" She turned her head and cut herself off. "Oh. I'm going to go find him." She got up, leaving the room.

Regina studied me. "We're here if you need help, Bay."

"I know. Thanks."

With that, I was alone. Alone in the room. Alone with my thoughts.

**EMMETT'S POV THE NEXT DAY**

No matter how much I tried to contact Bay, nothing seemed to work.

I knew that I messed up. I know that I cheated.

But I love her. I will do anything to get her back. The only problem is she has to let me in at least a little before I can do anything.

I texted her between every class I had, and now that it was lunch, I just stared at my phone. At some point, I went from apologetic to desperate. I'm not entirely sure when the transition occurred.

Someone sat across from me, and I looked up. Daphne. Before I could say anything (who am I kidding myself... before I could ask her about Bay), she was already signing.

'How do you feel about it?'

About Bay not answering my texts? Horrible. And she already knew that, so she had to be talking about something else.

'About what?'

'About the baby, Emmett.'

Baby? What baby? I didn't know anyone with babies. I had nothing to feel about any baby.

'What are you talking about?'

'You know what I'm talking about.'

'No. I really don't.'

'Bay's baby. Your baby.'

I paled. Bay's baby? My... my baby?

She was pregnant?

Daphne's eyes widened slightly. 'She didn't tell you.'

'She can't be pregnant. We... We used protection.'

'That doesn't always work, Emmett.'

No. No, I suppose it didn't always work.

Why wouldn't she tell me this? Why wouldn't she tell me I was a father? I knew that I had cheated, but this...

Before I quite knew what I was doing, I was already up and running.

**So, I'm finally getting Emmett involved.**

**Tell me what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

**Back to Bay's POV**

Lunch was really the best part of my day. I got to eat, and draw, and ignore everyone around me.

What wasn't there to like?

My phone buzzed and I looked at it. It was from Daphne.

_Incoming. I'm sorry._

Well... that was vague. And made no sense at all. What was incoming?

And then I heard it.

The motorcycle.

Oh. That's what was incoming.

I slowly looked up and seemed to watch Emmett come towards me in slow motion. He looked angry and hurt and confused.

I guess that's why she was sorry, too.

I quickly got up and went to him. He was going to cause a scene. I just knew it.

"Ok, Emmett, let's just go over there-"

'Why didn't you tell me?'

"-and we'll sit down away from people-"

'No! I want an answer. Why didn't you tell me?'

I took a deep breath and gave up on coercing him away. 'Calm down.'

'There is no reason for me to be calm.'

'I won't tell you anything if you're like this.'

That made him pause long enough to reign in his temper. 'How far are you?'

'I'm 8 weeks.'

'When did you find out?'

'A couple weeks ago.'

'And you told your family before you told me.'

I rolled my eyes, quickly getting irritated. 'Yes. I did. I told the people I live with before I told the guy who cheated on me. Who would have thought I'd do it that way?'

'I am trying to make that better.'

'Nothing will ever make that better.'

We stood there, staring at each other and breathing heavily as if we had been yelling. And as I stared at him, my anger slowly died down. I really liked those blue eyes. I hoped he passed those on to the child. His hair is a nice color, too...

'I want to be involved.' Evidently, he was still hanging on to his anger.

'Can we talk somewhere else?'

He sighed heavily. 'Fine.'

He started to lead me to his motorcycle, then hesitated. He opened up the seat compartment and grabbed the helmet-my helmet-studying it, then me.

'What are you waiting for?'

'Is it safe?'

Oh, my god. He was worried. He always insisted that it was safe before. But now that I was pregnant...

'I'll be fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. Let's go.'

He slowly handed me the helmet, and I put it on.

We both climbed on and he sped away. I didn't pay attention to where we were going, but we stopped on the side of a road. He cut the engine and climbed off, quickly rushing to my aid. Not that I was having issues with getting off, but... Well, he seemed like he was genuinely worried about me or the child getting hurt.

'I want to be involved,' he repeated.

He had found out. He seemed to care. And as mad as I was at him, who was I to tell him no?

'Fine. But you're on probation. One wrong move, and you're out.'

He was quick to agree, his eyes straying down to my stomach. With a heavy sigh, I pulled my shirt up slightly, exposing the baby bump.

'Can I...?'

I nodded slightly and looked away. I didn't see him, but I felt his hand lightly touch my stomach. Then his lips. I looked down in time to see him mouth, 'Hi.'

He repeated the motion a few more times before he used his voice.

"Hi, baby..."

I'd forgotten how much I loved his voice.

I quickly stepped away, dropping my shirt. 'My next appointment is in a couple months. I'll text you the details.'

'If you ever need any support at all... you can text me.' He stood, his blue eyes sincere. 'I want to help.'

I believed him. I believed him completely.

And suddenly, I understood Regina a little bit better.

I was mad at him before I knew I was pregnant. I was hurt. I might have come around eventually, but now... it wasn't just me. I didn't know if I would be putting this kid up for adoption or raising it myself, but I still had to look out for it. I had to protect it from Emmett.

And if I was going to protect it, I had to have as little contact with him as possible. Even these few minutes with him, and I was noticing the little things about him that I loved. I had to actively remind myself that he had cheated.

'I need to get back to school. You do, too.'

He nodded slightly, and handed the helmet back. We climbed on, and he took me back to Buckner.

I climbed off, handing him the helmet. 'I'll text you.' I started to turn, but he grabbed my arm. 'What?'

'We need to talk. About more than just this.'

'No. We don't.' I then ignored him, quickly going inside.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

**Sorry about the wait, guys! I've had a TON of homework and whatnot. Had finals today, and hopefully, I can get back on schedule. Sorry again!**

Right. So. Emmett knows, now. That's just... awesome. He's also going to be coming with me to my next appointment, which will be kind of awkward, considering we'll be listening for a heartbeat, and... well, you know. He's deaf.

But he really, _really_, wants to help.

I went to the bookstore, to see if they had a job for me. And he was there. Picking up baby books.

I'm serious.

'What to expect when she's expecting' or something like that. I don't know. He didn't see me, and I didn't stick around to ask. I also ended up not asking for an application.

I've also decided that I have told everyone I plan on telling. His parents get to find out from someone else. Like him. Or Regina. I don't know who's going to get to them first, I just know it won't be me.

And as much as art is my life, I think too many paint fumes might be bad. I don't know. I'll have to ask at the appointment. Until then, I'll just stick to drawing.

I'll have to change my clothes, eventually. They'll stop fitting at some point. I'm still fine, for now.

As a last order of business... I've decided that I need to patch up my relationship with Emmett.

'I'm on my way over.' That's what the text said. And that was 10 minutes ago. Which means he should be here really, really-the bell rang.

Ok. Ok, I can do this.

I got up and went down to the door, opening it up. There he was, with that boyish smile of his.

'I've read about pregnancy,' he signed.

'I don't care. We're not going to talk about that.' I stepped back and opened the door wider for him to come in.

'Then what are we going to talk about?'

'We're patching up.'

He frowned slightly. 'What do you mean?'

'We're going to try to work through our issues on the off chance that we keep it.'

He blinked in surprise. 'O... k.' I brought him to the living room.

Oh, that's right. Times like this is why it's not called the conference room.

I sat down, and he awkwardly followed suit. We got to talking, and once we got over the initial anxiety, and the fact that he had cheated and I was pregnant... It was like nothing had changed. We told each other about our problems, both big and small. We joked around, and we laughed.

It was _almost_ like nothing had changed.

That is, until my dad came in.

My dad and I weren't exactly on speaking terms right now, but the fact that he was my dad didn't change at all. And when he saw Emmett...

Well, the look on his face wasn't pretty.

My dad froze in the doorway behind Emmett, and his jaw tensed, his nose flaring. He did a weird thing where he flushes and pales at the same time. "You!"

'Ah, my dad, he's behind you,' I signed quickly.

Emmett quickly turned and stood.

"You hurt Bay. You _impregnanted _Bay. And you have the nerve to show up here?" His voice steadily rose, pointing a shaking finger at Emmett.

"Dad, stop it. We're recon-"

"Don't get me started on you, young lady!"

"Dad! I invited him over!"

"What, so you could try to have twins?"

"It doesn't work that way, and you-"

He once again cut me off, turning back to Emmett. "You need to leave."

Emmett nodded slightly and started to turn, but I grabbed his arm, moving to where he could see me. "I'll go with him. If this is how you're going to be, I'll leave and go with him."

"Oh, the hell you are! You are going to get rid of that thing, and then never leave this house again. _Ever_."

I think my jaw would have hit the ground if it had been physically possible. "You didn't just say that."

His eyes seemed to dare me to go on.

"I'm gone. I'm leaving. Have a nice life, Mr. Kennish." I spun on my heel, leaving the room and running up to my own. I sloppily packed a bag and slung it over my shoulder, running downstairs and outside to my car.

On the way, I called my mom's cell.

"Hello?"

"Hi, mom. Dad and I got in a huge fight. I'm going... probably to Emmett's. Maybe somewhere else. I'll call you when I get there."

"Bay, what are you-" I hung up before she could finish her sentence, then silenced my phone. I tossed everything into the passenger seat.

Emmett's motorcycle was still there, and I saw him coming out the front door, my dad yelling behind him.

I didn't wait for anything. I just put the car into gear and drove away, tears pricking my eyes.

Stupid hormones.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

I don't know where I was when I ran out of gas. I had just driven without paying attention. I had my radio on, the music blasting. I had driven for hours.

I had filled my tank the night before, after all.

Part of me wanted to keep going. To just run from everything.

However, I knew I couldn't.

To begin with, I was running from my dad, not anyone else. If needed, I could just stay in the guest house with Regina and Daphne, or even with Emmett if it got bad enough.

I also had those doctors appointments, and school, and... well, everything. I had too much to run away.

It was still an appealing thought, though.

_Ok. So, you had your irresponsible run away, and your responsible realization. Yay, you. Who are you going to call to get out of this mess?_

There was no way I could call my dad. And I had a feeling if I called mom, she would just tell him. Same with any other adult in the house. There was Daphne, but she had work the next day, and this would take hours. Toby would be cracking jokes...

After awhile, I finally grabbed my phone. 52 missed calls from mom. 12 texts. Most of them from mom. 2 of them from Emmett.

_Hey, are you alright?_

_Where are you?_

More missed calls.

I bit my lip slightly, clearing everything before texting Emmett.

_Hey... Want to come get me?_

His response was nearly instantaneous.

_Of course. Where are you? Are you ok?_

_Yeah. I'm fine. I'm a few hours away. On some country road off the highway, I guess. I'm out of gas._

_Is that all you have?_

I looked up and around. There were no signs, no landmarks, no other cars.

_Yeah. I'll start walking and text you when I have anything solid._

I shoved my phone in my pocket and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. I made sure I had everything important before getting out. All I could hope was that it would still be here when I returned.

Then, I started walking.

I went on for what felt like forever, occasionally checking my phone for any new texts. After awhile, I came up to a tiny town. I'm pretty sure I saw both ends of it from only a half mile away, so I guess it was more of a neighborhood or something.

There was a stone sign, cheerily stating, 'Welcome to Alderdeen!'

I pulled out my phone, texting Emmett again. _I'm in Alderdeen. I'll wait here._

I put it away again and slowly wandered the small town. There was a bar, a small store, a restaurant... school... library, post office... city hall... and there was the hotel. It didn't look like a chain, but rather a family owned business or something. I stepped inside, slowly looking around the room. A kind looking elderly man sat behind the desk.

"Hello, there," he said. His voice was oddly endearing.

"Hi... Um, can I have a room?"

"Of course. How long do you plan on staying?"

"Just tonight." I had figured it had taken me hours to get here. It would take Emmett hours to get here, too, and then hours more to get back. Might as well stay the night here and get going tomorrow.

"Alright. $25, please." I dug through my bag until I came up with my wallet, pulling the money out.

"Oh, wait. Someone else is coming. I don't know if he'll have his own room, or... or what..."

"We can get it sorted when he gets here, then. No point in you not having a room to go to while you wait, hm?"

I smiled and handed the money over. He handed me a key, pointing down a hallway. "Room 4, honey. You have your own bathroom."

I gratefully took it. "Thank you." Following his instruction, I headed down the hall. Once I got to the door with a golden '4' painted onto it, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

_At a hotel. Room 4._

The walls were painted a pale green, a white door to my right. Stepping further inside, I saw the full sized bed, a white comforter covering it. There was a wooden dresser, and a large window. Going to it, I saw the view of a green park, a small pond in its center.

All in all, it was a beautiful view.

_I wonder what it would be like to live here..._ The thought had drifted through my mind before I could stop it.

But... Alderdeen didn't seem so bad. I'd have to wait awhile to move here, but it was definitely a prospect. Assuming I remembered it when the time came.

And the houses that I saw were decent. Pretty. A nice, large yard.

I yawned, turned up my phone volume again, and laid down on the bed, my eyes slowly drifting shut.

My kid could play in that yard... I'm sure I could get Emmett to build something for it in there... something for them to play on...

That was my last thought before sleep claimed me.

**Ok, so, I think that Bay is getting more and more OOC with every chapter... I've decided to blame it on the pregnancy. Not my fault at all. *whistle whistle***

**Anyway, I also wanted to say that I'm assuming Bay knows way more sign here than she does on the show. That's probably because I know sign language, so I use my own knowledge in this...**

**Thank you all, for being so patient with ****me!**


	10. Quick little note

I am so sorry, guys! I kinda forgot about this story until November, but then I was trying to move and having relationship issues and excuses excuses excuses. I am going to re-read what I have so far (kinda forgotten some details) and then start writing again ASAP!

Sorry, again, guys. Hopefully another chapter will be up either tomorrow or Friday at the latest.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

**I do own Alderdeen (and its inhabitants) and the baby. And the doctor, but she's not in this chapter, so it doesn't really matter, does it?**

**Also, I'm ignoring all the big developments since I've stopped writing. Daphne still works at the restaurant, Angelo's new kid doesn't exist, and Bay still goes to Buckner.**

I woke up to a knocking sound. I groaned, pulling the sheets over my head and turning my back to the noise. "Go 'way..." I muttered. After a moment, I woke up enough to realize that these sheets smelled nothing like mine. And this bed was not nearly soft enough. Slowly sitting up, I looked around the room, out the window at the purple painted sky.

Alderdeen. That's right. I'm in Alderdeen. The fight with my dad... and Emmett...

The knocking sounded again.

Emmett!

I tossed back the sheets and stood, pausing to stretch before going and unlocking the door, pulling it open.

Emmett stood in the hallway, looking tired and concerned, and even a little afraid. He smiled once the door was opened, and waved slightly. 'I was getting worried that you weren't here,' he signed.

'I'm here. Sorry. I was taking a nap.'

'And you're ok?'

'Yes. I'm ok.'

'Your parents are worried about you. They keep texting me.'

Right. My phone. I waved him into the room, and went to check my phone. More texts, though no more missed calls. Angelo, Regina, Daphne, mom... But not dad. Not John Kennish. No, he wouldn't stoop to talk to someone he was convinced was wrong. Every text was the same. _Are you ok? Where are you? Do you need help? Come home. We're worried._

I sent out a text to everyone. _I'm fine._ That was all they got. I really didn't want to deal with them at the moment. Even the ones I wasn't mad at.

I turned back around, and Emmett was standing awkwardly in the room, not entirely sure what to think, I suppose.

'Come on, Emmett. Let's go get something to eat. I'm pretty sure I saw a diner coming in.'

He smiled and nodded. Given something to do, we both left. I locked the door behind me and we went past the front desk, the elderly man still there. I almost passed him without another thought, but quickly stopped and turned. "Oh! Ah, sir, this is the guy I was saying was coming."

The old man smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, honey, I'm sorry to say that the last room filled up while you were in there. But he can stay with you, just $5 more."

Something about his smile or his eyes told me he was lying. Maybe he saw more than he let on... but either way, it looked like Emmett was staying with me tonight. And I wouldn't be able to avoid him very much. "Oh... well... Ok." I dug in my purse, pulling out a five dollar bill and handing it over. "I'm Bay, by the way. That's Emmett."

"I'm Carl. Your young man ignored me earlier, you know."

"Not on purpose! I'm almost positive. He's deaf."

Carl nodded, the smile returning. His eyes had gone from mischievous and back to kind. Still, I felt as if he saw more than he let on. Like he saw the tension between me and Emmett, knew we had to talk.

There was a tap on my shoulder and I turned to see Emmett. 'You ok?'

'Yeah. I was just settling the room. They're filled up, so you're staying with me tonight.'

Emmett nodded, glancing at Carl before once again leaving the building. I followed him out. His motorcycle sat haphazardly in front of the building, looking like for once it hadn't been handled with care at all. Emmett threw his leg over the body of it, settling on it while pulling his helmet down. He held out my helmet and I pushed off the wall where I was leaning, gently taking it and latching it under my chin, getting on behind him. This was such a small town, we most likely didn't need a ride, but at that point I didn't much care. I was pregnant, and tired, and hungry. I was willing to ride 10 feet on the damn thing.

A couple minutes later, the engine stopped. I pulled away and took off the helmet, handing it to him before heading inside. A table for two was quickly snagged, and we were led there. I sat in one chair, Emmett sitting across from me.

'So, are we going to talk, or are we going to keep ignoring everything?' he signed slowly.

Oh, yay, I had options. I could keep putting everything off until it hits me like a truck, or I can be an adult about everything.

'We're going to talk.'

'Then let me talk. Don't interrupt me, ok? What I did with Simone, I know that was wrong. I have never regretted anything more in my life. I understand that you're mad at me. You have every right in the world to push me away and tell me to never speak to you again. But I love you. And now... now we have this child. This beautiful child that we are going to have to figure out what to do with. And we can't figure anything out if we don't talk about anything.'

I didn't lift my hands, just watching him until I was pretty sure he was done. 'Yes, it was wrong. And it hurt. Out of everyone to cheat on me with, you had to pick _her_? I gave everything to you, but it wasn't good enough for you. If not for Daphne, I wouldn't have told you about this kid at all. I would have just given it up without a second thought.'

Emmett paled slightly, and the waitress came seconds after, getting our order. Once she was gone, Emmett raised his hands. 'You wouldn't have told me?'

'No. Probably not. Not unless you saw me at a stage where I couldn't make up an excuse.'

'This is my child, too, Bay. It's not like I decided I didn't want you and leave.'

'You might as well have.'

He looked away, his nose flaring. I crossed my arms, looking down at the table. The waitress came back at some point, softly setting the food down on the table and quickly leaving. Emmett jabbed at his food, and I busied myself with slowly cutting it into pieces.

Somehow, we managed to finish our food. I pulled out my wallet to pay, but Emmett quickly put money on the table. I looked up to argue with him, but he already looked angry. Might as well let him have his moment.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I stood. Great. Hormones chose _now_to interfere with life. He went outside, climbing onto his motorcycle, holding out the helmet to me. However, I ignored him completely. I would rather walk, right now. He was mad and we both needed some time to cool off. He didn't do that very well, though. As I walked back toward the hotel, he walked the bike along side me. He kept straddling it, waiting for me to get on, but I stayed strong and refused. I silently went through the doors, leaving him to deal with his bike. I passed a silent Carl, going back to room 4.

I tried to get the door shut before he got there, but was too slow. He had managed to shove his foot in, going into the room, gently shutting the door behind him. I tried to continue to ignore him, trying to lock myself into the bathroom, but he grabbed my arm, turning me to him.

'You said you would have given it up. What about now?'

What about now? Was I going to keep it? Or was I going to put it up for adoption?

'I don't know.'

I stepped back into the bathroom, closing the door between us.

**So, I think that might have been one of my longer chapters. No clue.**

**Thoughts?**


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters. I do own Alderdeen and its inhabitants, as well as the baby.**

**Also, I'm going to _try _to make this chapter long-ish, but with the scene I have in mind for this chapter, it might not be.**

I eventually had to come out of the bathroom. I slowly opened the door, peeking out. Emmett sat on the floor, directly next to the door, lost in thought.

I silently walked past him. If he was still mad, I didn't want to set anything off. Perhaps calling him hadn't been the best idea... it might have been better to call someone else. Someone who wasn't currently upset with me. Like... well... no one, I guess.

Dismissing that train of thought, I pulled back the covers, getting into bed. After a couple minutes, Emmett got up and looked at me.

'I'll take the floor.'

Yeah, he could do that. Except that wouldn't be nice, and his child was kind of inside of me, so it wasn't like we hadn't shared a bed before...

'No. It's uncomfortable down there. Just get in.'

He hesitated slightly. 'Are you sure, Bay?'

Not at all. 'Yes. Just get in.'

He nodded and very slowly got in beside me, laying on top of the covers. Fine. Whatever floated his boat.

I closed my eyes and tried my best to get to sleep, but after a few more minutes, he tapped me lightly. I opened my eyes again and looked at him.

'You said 'I don't know'.'

I swallowed hard, slowly nodding.

'You're thinking about keeping it?'

'I don't know. Maybe. I mean... We're still in school, Emmett. We live with our parents. We don't have jobs. It would be so irresponsible to keep this thing.'

Emmett watched me, his eyes softening. 'But?'

That's the thing about Emmett, I guess. He knows me. He has always known me. Even when we didn't talk a lot, before we dated, before we went looking for Angelo together... he saw through my bullshit. He saw through every excuse I threw his way. Maybe it was because he was deaf. I haven't quite figured that part out. Maybe because he can't hear a person's voice, he is hyper aware of body language or the look in someone's eyes... but when I say something, and I'm thinking something else, he has always known.

'But... But this is my baby. I don't know if I can give my baby away.'

Emmett nodded slightly, understandingly. 'We have time to figure this out.'

'We?'

'No matter what ends up happening, I am here. I'm not going anywhere. You could kick me out of this room right now, and I would sleep against that door. So it doesn't matter if you end up putting him up for adoption, or keeping him. I'll be there at every doctor's appointment you have. I'll be there anytime you need to get away from your family. I'll be by your side when you're in labor.'

I fell silent, slowly letting that sink in. Support. He was offering me support. It was simple... but it meant everything to me.

'He? You want a boy?' I signed jokingly.

He smiled and shook his head. 'No, actually. I want a girl.'

'Oh, really?'

'Yes. I want a little girl that has your hair and your eyes, your artistic ability... I want to dance with her.' I watched as Emmett's blue eyes lit up, clearly looking at a picture only he could see.

'So you want to keep it?'

'Yes,' he signed, not so much as hesitating. 'If we could figure out a way... I would want to keep him. Her. Whichever.'

Once again, my hands fell silent as I regarded him. At the boy who probably would have been my friend my entire life if it weren't for the switch. At the boy who won my heart. The boy who took my vegetable. The boy who completely broke my heart.

The boy who, no matter how much denial and anger I put myself in, I was still completely in love with.

'I disagree,' I signed.

He frowned slightly. 'Disagree with what?'

'I want her to have your eyes.'

Emmett smiled that boyish smile of his. 'Good night.'

'Night.' With that, I rolled over, my back to him, and quickly fell asleep.

**So, I know that I don't update nearly as often as people would like (including myself), and I honestly have no excuses... But I wanted to thank everyone who deals with it and sticks with me and reads this anyways. Every review I read just makes me happy, and though this might sound cliche or a like a ploy to get more, they actually do inspire me to write more. So, again, thank you everyone.**


	13. Chapter 12

**I'M A HORRIBLE HORRIBLE PERSON I KNOW I'M SO SORRY I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY EXCUSES. I started writing this chapter 2 months ago, then got distracted and before I knew it, it was April. I'M SORRY.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters. I do own Alderdeen and the baby.**

**Also, I just did a little bit of research, and Bay told Emmett her next appointment would be in a couple months. She's about 8 weeks now, though, so her next appointment should be at 12 weeks. Which is 4 weeks, not 2 months. So, yeah, the next appointment will be coming sooner rather than later.**

Early the next morning, we were both up. I changed clothes and made sure we had all of our belongings before I grabbed the key and took it out to Carl. "Thank you," I said, passing them over the counter. I briefly wondered how long he was here, if he lived in one of the rooms, or if he had a house hidden away nearby.

"Of course, dear. Hope to see you around again, soon." Carl smiled, hanging the key up behind him as I turned to Emmett and signed, 'Gas.'

He nodded and led the way back out to his bike, quickly taking me to the gas station. I bought one of those red containers for gas and filled it up before we managed to secure it to his bike and we took off down the road. We eventually came up to my car, thankfully untouched, while I put the gas in it. I then drove back to Alderdeen, just to make sure my tank was full.

Casting a final glance over the small town, I drove away, Emmett right behind me. This would probably have been a good time to talk, on this hours long journey, but my car was _not_ big enough to hold his bike. And honestly, I didn't really mind that much. After what happened last night... I needed a little time to think.

Had we just agreed to keep this thing? This tiny person growing inside of me? I mean, we had never actually said the words, but... why else would we say what we wanted? What we wanted it to look like? What we wanted to do?

Are we seriously going to try to be parents?

That was a very daunting thought. Being a mother. Though I suppose I should have thought about that before. Did I? Of course not. My thoughts were not nearly so responsible. My thoughts at the time had been... _stop it. Not important._

Forcing myself to think back on last night, all thoughts of the child melted away.

He had come for me.

I needed help... and he was there. Without a second thought. He just... came. Why would he do that if he didn't care for me? If he didn't love me?

Why did he cheat if he did, though?

_'No matter what ends up happening, I am here.'_ That's what he had said. He was here. He was ready to support me... and I really needed some support. I wasn't exactly getting it from my parents. Well, I suppose Mom and Regina were... But John? No. I couldn't go back there. I couldn't stay in the same house as the man who had raised me.

So where was I going to go?

Regina... lived close enough to John that I didn't want to chance it. Angelo was way too flaky to stay with. And it wasn't like he was exactly Team Emmett or baby or anything.

The only other person I talk to... is Emmett.

Could I really chance staying with Emmett? He said he was here for me, so I have no doubts that he would let me stay... But what about Melody? She was never my #1 fan. What about now that I was making her son a father? In her eyes, I would just be the hearing teen mom ruining his life.

It's not like I have anywhere else to go, though. I get to either stay at my house, with John, go stay with Regina, which is way too close to John... or stay with Emmett.

Even if Melody suddenly did decide to like me, could I trust Emmett like that? And where would I stay? They only had a small 2 bedroom place. There wasn't a chance I was staying in Emmett's room. The couch? How long would I be able to fit on a couch?

I quickly shook my head. This train of thought was getting me nowhere. I quickly reached out and flipped the music on, turning it up as loud as it would go. There was no one else on the road, and Emmett couldn't hear it, anyway... why not enjoy myself and blast my eardrums?

_'I can be your hero, baby,_

_I can kiss away the pain,_

_I will stand by you forever,_

_You can take my breath away.'_

I sang with the man on the radio, rocking in my seat, my mood gradually lifting. This is what I need. Mind numbing music. Mind numbing anything, really.

My phone buzzed in the seat beside me, and I glanced at it briefly. Another text. I chose to ignore it. It could wait until Emmett and I stopped off for gas or to eat. After all, this drive was far from over.

Hindsight being 20/20, I think I would prefer him to be next to me, after all. He could keep me busy. Entertained. Happy.

That's what he always did, wasn't it? Make me happy.

Damn him.

**Ok, so, here's a long overdue chapter.**

**Also, in case you're wondering why I chose that song: go to youtube and add /watch?v=umFt33u5gFs I don't know why it won't let me post the full link.**


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Switched at Birth or any of its characters.**

It was about 2 hours before we passed through a small town with a decent looking restaurant. Making sure Emmett was still behind me, I pulled off into the parking lot, quickly swinging into a spot and getting out. He pulled up beside me, the roar of his engine going silent.

He easily slid off his bike, hanging his helmet on a handle. 'Something wrong or just hungry?'

'Food. Feed me, man!'

He grinned, shaking his head slightly, amused as he made his way to the sidewalk and into the diner, with me hot on his heels.

Stepping inside was almost like walking onto a TV set.

There were five booths lined against the right hand wall, a bar dominating the space to the left. An old black register sat on the far end of the bar. The counter tops and tables were all silver, almost metallic. Six red stools lined themselves at the bar, matching the booths. Each table had 5 basics; salt, pepper, ketchup, tobasco sauce, and a napkin dispenser. A cat clock sat on the wall to the left, visible by everyone in the small diner. There seemed to only be 2 waitresses, one looking to be our age with black hair, standing behind the bar, talking to an older man. The other was much older, maybe 60, her red hair graying. She went from booth to booth, laughing and joking as she got orders and delivered coffee. Both wore a pale yellow dress with a white apron tied around their waists. The sounds of pans clanking and food sizzling emanated from the kitchen.

None of that seemed to be what made it so surreal, though. Everyone was happy, smiling, talking to each other between booths. Everyone knew each other. I could just imagine it being like this in the restaurant in Alderdeen, but the only image that came to my mind was an argument. I suppose I had been too stressed to actually pay attention to my surroundings.

The red haired woman quickly approached us. "Hey, there, hun. I'm Nadine. Booth?" She smiled widely, quickly snagging two menus from some unseen cubby.

I nodded quickly. "Yes, please."

She didn't hesitate, quickly spinning and leading us to the middle of the five booths, setting a menu down at either side of the table. I quickly slid in, facing the door, Emmett sliding in across from me.

"Ok, hun, anything to drink to start out?" Nadine turned her head away from us as she spoke, pulling a pad of paper from her pocket. Emmett frowned, looking to me. Since when had he started doing that? Waiting for me to help him? I still remember how much trouble I had been in at the music festival when I had said his order for him... that hadn't been pretty. What had changed now?

I chewed on my lip slightly, before saying, "Lemonade, please," while I signed, 'What do you want to drink?'

He quickly flipped open the menu, finding the drinks and turning it to her, pointing at what he wanted. I guess the moment was gone. Maybe it's a gradual thing? I don't know. Trying to understand Emmett was sometimes the easiest thing in the world. Almost like I was raised doing it. I could do it in my sleep. Second nature. Then other times... Figuring out what was going on in his head was like trying to read some alien language. Impossible and just confusing.

Nadine looked to where he was pointing and quickly scrawled on the paper, walking away and disappearing behind the counter.

'So you're going to stay with me, right?' His hands were confident, that seemingly constant smile on his face.

'What do-'

'I know you, Bay. I know your thought process. You have three options, and with what happened, I'm the best one.'

I huffed and looked away. Sometimes, I really hated how he did that. Because he was right. He did know me. Probably better than anyone else in the world. And there shouldn't have ever been the illusion that this conversation wouldn't come up immediately.

I still would have preferred to be the one to bring it up.

Nadine quickly returned, setting my lemonade in front of me, and some brown fizzy drink in front of Emmett. "Know what you want to eat?"

I quickly nodded. "Mushroom omelette, please." Nadine scrawled it on her pad and turned to Emmett. I guess he had been prepared this time, as he turned the menu again and pointed, not asking for my help again. Nadine quickly had it jotted down, taking our menus and disappearing.

Emmett turned back to me, his eyes intense. 'So? Are you staying with me?'

I sighed heavily. 'What about your mom?'

'I'll deal with her.'

'What if she acts like John?'

Emmett's jaw tensed. 'Then we'll find somewhere else.'

'We, huh? You plan on tagging along?' I joked weakly, forcing a smile.

'Yes. I do. I told you. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere.' His face was completely serious. I wanted to find something about that sentence, about his attitude, anything that I could get mad at. He cheated. If not for Daphne, he wouldn't even know about this thing inside of me.

But despite how hard I tried, every time he said those words... 'I'm here for you'... a little bit of the ice I had put up around my heart melted a little bit. I wanted to believe him more than I wanted to protect myself. I wanted to believe that he would be there for me. That he would be here for our baby.

I said nothing, and neither did Emmett. The sounds of the diner came back to me. Nadine and the other waitress calling back orders. For a small town, it was surprisingly busy here. People talking, laughing... not having a tense conversation. It was like we weren't there. We were in our own world.

Nadine returned with our food, and we ate in continued silence. It wasn't long before we finished, and though I pulled out my wallet to pay, Emmett beat me to it, going to the register. I rolled my eyes and stood, going out to my car. Him and his chivalry. Like buying me lunch was going to fix anything.

A minute or two later, he came back out. I leaned against the driver side door, not quite ready to continue driving.

'Well? What's the game plan, Bay?' he signed as he made his way to his bike.

'I guess we go to your house.'

He grinned and straddled his bike, putting the helmet on while I got into my car.

**Look at me, updating again so** **quickly.**


End file.
